Acoustic access disconnection systems and methods

• US 9,089,654 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Inventors: Roger, Rodolfo, Childers, Robert, Kelly, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiest, Philip R
• Application Number:
  US14/332,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20140330193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 604 401- 616
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/14 Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00 ; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3607 Regulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3639 Blood pressure control, pressure transducers specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3653 Interfaces between patient blood circulation and extra-corporal blood circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3656 Monitoring patency or flow at connection sites; Detecting disconnections
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/058 with ultrasound therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/15 Detection of leaks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3331 Pressure; Flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3344 Measuring or controlling pressure at the body treatment site
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/04 Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulation

Abstract

An access disconnection system includes: an arterial line; a venous line; a transmitter configured to transmit a sound wave in one of the arterial and venous lines when connected to a patient; a receiver configured to receive the sound wave from the other of the arterial and venous lines when connected to the patient; and electronic circuitry coupled to at least one of the transmitter and receiver, the circuitry configured to send a disconnection output indicative of a change in the sound waves received by the receiver from the transmitter sufficient to expect that an access disconnection of one of the arterial line and venous lines has occurred.

Claims

1. A blood treatment machine including:

an arterial line;

a venous line; and

an access disconnection system including;

(i) a transmitter coupled to one of the arterial line or the venous line and configured to transmit a wave in said one of the arterial line or the venous line towards a patient when connected to the patient,

(ii) a receiver coupled to said one of the arterial line or the venous line and configured to receive a reflection of the wave within said one of the arterial line or the venous line when returning from the patient, and

(iii) electronic circuitry communicating with at least one of the transmitter and the receiver, the electronic circuitry configured to send a disconnection output indicative of a change in the reflected wave received by the receiver sufficient to expect that an access disconnection of said one of the arterial line or the venous line has occurred.

2. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, which incudes a blood pump and a drip chamber, and wherein the drip chamber is located between (i) the blood pump and (ii) the transmitter and the receiver.

3. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, which includes (i) a filter in fluid communication with the arterial line and the venous line, and (ii) a dialysate circuit in fluid communication with the filter, wherein the access disconnection system is located separately from the dialysate circuit.

4. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, wherein said one of the arterial line or the venous line is the venous line.

5. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, wherein the blood treatment machine includes a blood pump and a venous line clamp, and wherein the disconnection output causes the blood treatment machine to perform at least one of:

(i) stop the blood pump;

(ii) activate the venous line clamp;

or (iii) alert the patient of the access disconnection.

6. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, wherein the wave is a type selected from the group consisting of:

sonic, subsonic, ultrasonic, sound, pressure, single frequency, multiple frequencies, continuous, pulsed, modulated in amplitude, modulated in frequency, modulated in phase and any suitable combination thereof.

7. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are of at least one type selected from the group consisting of:

a single transducer, multiple transducers, piezoelectric, or electromagnetic.

8. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, wherein the disconnection output is of at least one type selected from the group consisting of:

an electrical output, a radio frequency output, a continuous output, an intermittent output and an output occurring upon the change.

9. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, which is a redundant system that combines one of:

(i) an optical blood leak detector, (ii) a capacitive sensing pad detector or (iii) a conductive blanket detector with the transmitter, the receiver and the electronic circuitry.

10. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to send the disconnection output wirelessly to the blood treatment machine.

11. The blood treatment machine of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is in wired communication with the blood treatment machine.

12. A blood treatment machine comprising:

an arterial line;

a venous line;

an access disconnection system including;

(i) a transmitter configured to transmit a wave in one of the arterial line or the venous line towards a patient when connected to the patient;

(ii) a receiver configured to receive a reflection of the wave within said one of the arterial line or the venous line when returning from the patient; and

(iii) electronic circuitry in communication with at least one of the transmitter and the receiver, the electronic circuitry configured to send a disconnection output indicative of a change in the reflected wave received by the receiver sufficient to expect that an access disconnection of said one of the arterial line or the venous line has occurred.

13. The blood treatment machine of claim 12, wherein the transmitter is a piezoelectric transmitter and the receiver is a piezoelectric receiver.

14. The blood treatment machine of claim 12, wherein the access disconnection system is an active sonar echo system.

15. The blood treatment machine of claim 12, wherein the wave is of at least one type selected from the group consisting of:

sonic, subsonic, ultrasonic, sound, pressure, single frequency, multiple frequencies, continuous, pulsed, modulated in amplitude, modulated in frequency, modulated in phase and any suitable combination thereof.

16. An access disconnection system comprising:

an arterial line;

a venous line;

a transmitter configured to transmit a wave in one of the arterial line or the venous line towards a patient when connected to the patient;

a receiver configured to receive a reflection of the wave in said one of the arterial line or the venous line when returning from the patient; and

electronic circuitry in communication with at least one of the transmitter and the receiver, the electronic circuitry configured to send a disconnection output indicative of a change in the reflected wave received by the receiver from the transmitter sufficient to expect that an access disconnection of said one of the arterial line or the venous line has occurred.

17. The access disconnection system of claim 16, which includes an excitation apparatus coupled to one of the arterial line or the venous line, wherein the transmitter is a piezoelectric transmitter and the receiver is a piezoelectric receiver, and wherein the excitation apparatus is configured to excite the piezoelectric transmitter to transmit the wave in said one of the arterial line or the venous line.

18. The access disconnection system of claim 16, wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to send the disconnection output to a blood treatment machine (i) wirelessly or (ii) via wired communication.

19. An access disconnection method comprising:

enabling transmission of a wave into one of an arterial line or a venous line towards a patient when connected to the patient;

enabling receipt of a reflection of the wave returned from the patient in said one of the arterial line or the venous line; and

enabling a disconnection output signal to be sent that is indicative of a change in the reflected wave received by the receiver from the transmitter sufficient to expect that an access disconnection of said one of the arterial line or the venous line has occurred.

20. The access disconnection method of claim 19, which includes enabling the disconnection output to be sent to a blood treatment machine.